My dad the superhero

Posted Thursday, June 18, 2009, at 10:13 PM

Sunday is Father's Day. That means for all you slackers out there, you better get to the store and get dad a little something, after all, parents deserve to have a special day dedicated to them each year, it's hard work raising kids. That's something I never really realized, until I had kids of my own. Parent's do really have their work cut out for them. I never thought about how hard my parents worked, or how food got on our table and all the countless things my parents provided me with, and then replaced when I broke them.. or lost them.

My parents are jewels. Really, if I had got to choose my parents, I don't think I could have chosen a better set. They were just the right amount of strict and relaxed with me, I knew the rules and I normally followed them, plus I knew when I was going to be in trouble, and I probably deserved every punishment I ever received, plus a few. One thing about my parents, is that I could always talk to them. I wasn't just a little kid, I had an opinion ( LOTS of opinions) and I was always given a voice and a lot of times they let me fight my own battles. Of course, they were always there if I needed to call in some backup, but they let me figure things out for myself, which I'm thankful for.

I remember once, when I was probably 7 or 8, I was really impressed by fire ( yeah, imagine that, now I fight them! ) and I watched a movie, Benny & June, where the girl plays with a napkin, lights it on fire and it dances in the air, pushed by a fan. Well, little ol' me decided that was a fantastic thing to reenact. Except I didn't use a fan, and I used a candle and a paper towel (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME). Well, paper towels burn well, but mine didn't work as gracefully as it did in the movie. Nope, instead my paper towel landed on the linoleum floor in our kitchen. Brand spankin' new linoleum floor too. Less than a week old, I think. Have you ever seen what a burn mark on a white linoleum floor looks like? NO?? Well, not good is all I can say.

I panicked, but in my child mind, full of those 7 or 8 years of wisdom, I had a plan. If I covered it up, no one would ever notice it. Right? Well I said I had a plan, I didn't say it was the smartest plan. Anyway, I covered the spot and thought, home free. Yeah, daughter free to a good home was more like it. My parent's weren't dumb, they picked it up and saw the mark. When you only have one sibling, it doesn't take them long to figure out which kid did something, best clue was the one that was hiding in their bedroom... probably committed the crime. Boy were they mad... but I learned something. Well, more than one something's.. never play with fire and always, always, TELL THE TRUTH. You may think your cover story sounds good to you, but parents are like human lie detectors, they know EVERYTHING. Needless to say, I was probably grounded for that one.

Over the years, that was not the only stupid thing I did. I can't tell you how many times I broke things, lost things, lied about little things and gave my parents several gray hairs. But you know what? They always loved me. Deserving, undeserving.. their love was unconditional and I'm so thankful it was.

Growing up, my dad was my hero. I bet lots of little girls think of their dad as their hero, but man I thought he was cooler than Superman or BatMan, or any other superhero. He was the greatest, he was patient and kind, never quitting on me and always having my back when I got myself into a sticky situation. I've learned a lot of great lessons from him, from how to ride a bike, to how to count, to always leaving early for an important meeting. I remember how he always said "If you're early, you're on time.. If you're just on time, you're late.. Being late is inexcusable." I think he told me that a few times and I mostly just rolled my eyes, but boy was Dad right. I wish I would've realized just how right Dad was on everything. You do need math in the real world..(Who knew?) and you should know how to change a tire (that lesson has come in pretty handy with all these gravel roads) but mostly, he taught me how to push, how to better myself and how to reach for the sky and how to get back up and try again, never letting myself give up. He also taught me the value of hard work and that nothing ever comes free.

I wish I would have seen the value in the lessons he was trying to teach me when I was younger, I would have wrote them down and maybe taken a little more time to think about what he was saying, but we never do. When we're young, we think we know everything, it takes getting knocked down a few times to realize that you don't know everything. I'm just thankful that God gave me such wonderful parents to help me back up again, to set me straight when I've veered off the good path and who will love me, no matter what.

My dad always has been and always will be the man who can fix everything, from broken toys to broken hearts, the man who can take on the world.. my hero. He may be a little older, a little grayer, but I'll always see him the same.

I am the Editorial Assistant for The Fort Scott Tribune, where I have been employed since March of 2008. I live in the country near Mapleton, Kan., with my husband and our two children. I graduated from Uniontown High School, Uniontown, Kan., but before attending Uniontown, I moved around several times during my childhood. I love to take photos, write, read and spend time with my family. I am also a member of our local fire department and enjoy attending church with my family and appreciate everything a small town has to offer. I look forward to watching my children grow and spending time with my husband and family while living in the country.